Franklin Half Dollar

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Franklin Half Dollar

Franklin Half Dollar

Franklin design has short run on half dollar The Benjamin Franklin half dollar is a series that may ring your bell. Produced from 1948 through 1963, the Franklin half dollar features the Liberty Bell on the reverse. U.S. Mint Chief Sculptor-Engraver John R. Sin...READ MORE

Franklin Half Dollar

Franklin Half Dollar

Franklin design has short run on half dollar
The Benjamin Franklin half dollar is a series that may ring your bell.
Produced from 1948 through 1963, the Franklin half dollar features the
Liberty Bell on the reverse. U.S. Mint Chief Sculptor-Engraver John R.
Sinnock's design on the reverse of the Franklin half dollar is also
unusual. Although it complies with laws that dictate an eagle must
appear on the coin, the small eagle to the side of the Liberty Bell
almost appears to be an afterthought. (Sinnock also designed the
obverse.) The obverse of the Franklin half dollar was based on a bust
modeled from the original Jean-Antoine Houdon bust sculptured from life
when Franklin was ambassador to France. The Commission of Fine Arts
rejected the obverse and reverse designs for the Franklin half dollar.
However, Treasury officials chose to ignore the commission's
recommendation for a design competition and approved both designs. One
of the commission's concerns was that derogatory remarks might be made
about the prominent crack depicted on the Liberty Bell. This proved to
be unfounded. However, Sinnock's JRS initials appearing on the
truncation of Franklin on the obverse were later rumored to stand for
Joseph Stalin, the premier of the Soviet Union. The eagle appearing to
be flexing its muscles to the right of the Liberty Bell on the reverse
is a focal point for many of the varieties of the Franklin half dollar.
There are both high relief and low relief eagle varieties of some dates,
as well as variations in the number of feathers depicted on the eagle.
Another variety of interest is the 1955 "Bugs Bunny" coin on
which Franklin has the appearance of buck teeth due to clashed die
marks. The mintage figures range from about 2.7 million to about 67
million for the Franklin half dollar series. This was substantial for
the series at the time the coins were struck. However, due to melting of
many of the coins for their silver content, some of the dates are now
scarcer than their mintages indicate. Based on mintage figures, the key
dates in the series are 1948, 1949-S, 1953 and 1955 coins. The most
common coin, based on mintage figures, should be the 1963-D half dollar.
Proof versions were struck for Mint sets between 1950 and 1963. The
lowest Proof set mintage is 1950. The highest mintage in Proof is for
the 1962 coin. Cameo finish Proofs appear in some sets. These are early
strikes with frosted devices. Such strikes bring a premium value above
the price of typical Proof strikes. The Mint mark D for the Denver Mint
and S for the San Francisco Mint appears above the Liberty Bell on the
reverse of Franklin half dollar coins. There is no Mint mark for coins
struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Uncirculated pieces are usually
collected by "bell lines." Fully struck bell lines appearing
near the bottom of the Liberty Bell on the reverse are desired and bring
a premium value higher than Uncirculated specimens without full bell
lines. In his book The Franklin Half Dollar Collector/Investor Guide
, Lyman L. Allen describes full bell lines: "When the Franklin half
is encountered fully struck it will exhibit the three wisps of hair as
mentioned, and two sets of horizontal parallel lines near the bottom of
the bell on the reverse. These two sets of parallel lines are composed
of three raised (four incuse) lines in the upper set, and two raised
lines (three incuse) at the bottom. ... "To qualify all seven
incuse lines must show completely across the bell on the reverse, and
the three wisps of hair to the right of Franklin's ear must be distinct
and not blended together on the obverse." Allen rates the 1953-S
and 1954-S half dollars as the poorest strikes in the series, with
1949-S, 1951-S and 1952-S coins’ striking quality as "below
average." Rumors of a 1964-dated Franklin half dollar have never
been substantiated. The design was changed in 1964 to honor the
assassinated President John F. Kennedy. The Franklin design was used
for 15 years.

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LIBERTY CAP RIGHT HALF CENT

THE SMALLEST DENOMINATION

Although it may seem unusual today, the United States government once issued a coin worth less than one cent: the half cent. The copper U.S. half cent was authorized for production on April 2, 1792. During its 64-year lifespan as a circulating denomination, five different basic design types of the tiny (0.93-inch) coin were struck. The coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint and do not have a Mint mark. The half cent's designers and engravers are among the best known names in U.S. Mint design/engraving history: Adam Eckfeldt, Robert Scot, John Gardner, Gilbert Stuart, John Reich and Christian Gobrecht. Designs for the half cent were also used on other denominations through the years. The 1793 Liberty Cap half cent features a lettered edge stating TWO HUNDRED FOR A DOLLAR. The obverse depicts a bust of Liberty with flowing hair, facing left. A Liberty Cap on a pole rests on her right shoulder giving the design its name, the Liberty Cap. The design for the Liberty Cap half cent was based on Agustin Dupre's Libertas Americana medal. Half cents struck between 1794 and 1797 bear another Liberty Cap design, this one facing right, and issued in Plain Edge, Lettered Edge and Gripped Edge varieties. From 1800 to 1808 the Draped Bust design was used on half cents. All half cents bearing those dates are Plain Edge varieties. The Classic Head design was used on half cents struck between 1809-1836. From 1849 to 1857, a Coronet design with Plain Edge was used. All half cents have a wreath on the reverse. The key dates in the series are 1793; 1796, No Pole; 1802/0, Reverse of 1800; and 1831.